In Vivaldi's version -- with a libretto by an up-and-coming 25-year-old Carlo Goldoni -- longstanding public objections to King Gualtiero's marriage to a commoner prompt him to publicly test Griselda's loyalty.

Whether the National Theatre's latest unruly juggernaut of a hit, One Man, Two Guvnors, a British re-imagining of a Carlo Goldoni farce, will also make the transition to universal appeal when it transfers to Broadway next year will depend on the confidence of the creative delivery, not just on the retention of the accents.